Higher order mu-mimo for lte-a

ABSTRACT

An access node of a 3GPP LTE-based wireless communication network comprises a transmitter portion that transmits downlink control information (DCI) to at least one wireless station of a plurality of wireless stations wirelessly accessing the node as a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) wireless communication network. The DCI comprises at least one code word indicating a rank of a channel matrix between the transmitter portion of the node and the wireless station greater than 4 and a spatial-related configuration for the wireless station. In one exemplary embodiment, the transmitter portion transmits the DCI from one substantially localized geographical transmission point forming a single-cell access point for the plurality of wireless stations. In another exemplary embodiment, the transmitter portion transmits the DCI from multiple geographically substantially isolated transmission points forming a single-cell access point.

BACKGROUND

Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology has beenrecognized as a technique to boost spectrum efficiency withoutsignificantly increasing infrastructure costs. For LTE-A Rel. 10,transmission mode 9 (TM9) has been introduced to support up to an 8-by-8MIMO transmission. That is, eight Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)antenna ports are defined to demodulate up to rank 8 transmissions.Nevertheless, such an approach does not provide higher-order MU-MIMOmodes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctlyclaimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Such subjectmatter may, however, be understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the overall architecture of a 3GPP LTEnetwork including network elements and standardized interfaces;

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict radio interface protocol structures between a UEand an eNodeB that are based on a 3GPP-type radio access networkstandard; and

FIGS. 4A-4D respectively depict the mapping of UE-specific referencesignals for antenna ports 7, 8, 9 and 10 (normal cyclic prefix).

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity ofillustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarilybeen drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elementsmay be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, ifconsidered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among thefigures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. Itwill, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that claimedsubject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuitshave not been described in detail.

In the following description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/orconnected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particularembodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elementsare in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other.“Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physicaland/or electrical contact. “Coupled” may, however, also mean that two ormore elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet maystill cooperate and/or interact with each other. For example, “coupled”may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but areindirectly joined together via another element or intermediate elements.Finally, the terms “on,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used in thefollowing description and claims. “On,” “overlying,” and “over” may beused to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physicalcontact with each other. “Over” may, however, also mean that two or moreelements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, “over”may mean that one element is above another element but not contact eachother and may have another element or elements in between the twoelements. Furthermore, the term “and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean“or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”, it may mean “one”, it may mean “some,but not all”, it may mean “neither”, and/or it may mean “both”, althoughthe scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Inthe following description and/or claims, the terms “comprise” and“include,” along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended assynonyms for each other. As used herein, the word “exemplary” means“serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodimentdescribed herein as “exemplary” is not to be construed as necessarilypreferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to techniques forhigher-order MU-MIMO than the current available in the solutionstandardized in 3GPP Technical Standard 36.211 for LTE-A Rel. 10.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the overall architecture of a 3GPP LTEnetwork 100 that includes network elements and standardized interfaces.At a high level, network 100 comprises a core network (CN) 101 (alsoreferred to as the evolved Packet System (EPC)), and an air-interfaceaccess network E-UTRAN 102. CN 101 is responsible for the overallcontrol of the various User Equipment (UE) connected to the network andestablishment of the bearers. E-UTRAN 102 is responsible for allradio-related functions.

The main logical nodes of CN 101 include a Serving GPRS Support Node103, the Mobility Management Entity 104, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)105, a Serving Gate (SGW) 106, a PDN Gateway 107 and a Policy andCharging Rules Function (PCRF) Manager 108. The functionality of each ofthe network elements of CN 101 is well known and is not describedherein. Each of the network elements of CN 101 are interconnected bywell-known standardized interfaces, some of which are indicated in FIG.1, such as interfaces S3, S4, S5, etc., although not described herein.

While CN 101 includes many logical nodes, the E-UTRAN access network 102is formed by one node, the evolved NodeB (eNB or eNode B) 110, whichconnects to one or more User Equipment (UE) 111, of which only one isdepicted in FIG. 1. In one exemplary configuration, a single cell of anE-UTRAN access network 102 provides one substantially localizedgeographical transmission point (having multiple antenna devices) thatprovides access to one or more UEs. In another exemplary configuration,a single cell of an E-UTRAN access network 102 provides multiplegeographically substantially isolated transmission points (each havingone or more antenna devices) with each transmission point providingaccess to one or more UEs simultaneously and with the signaling bitsdefined for the one cell so that all UEs share the same spatialsignaling dimensioning. For normal user traffic (as opposed tobroadcast), there is no centralized controller in E-UTRAN; hence theE-UTRAN architecture is said to be flat. The eNBs are normallyinterconnected with each other by an interface known as “X2” and to theEPC by an S1 interface. More specifically, an eNB is connected to MME104 by an S1-MME interface and to SGW 106 by an S1-U interface. Theprotocols that run between the eNBs and the UEs are generally referredto as the “AS protocols.” Details of the various interfaces are wellknown and not described herein.

The eNB 110 hosts the PHYsical (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), RadioLink Control (RLC), and Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layers,which are not shown in FIG. 1, and which include the functionality ofuser-plane header-compression and encryption. The eNB 110 also providesRadio Resource Control (RRC) functionality corresponding to the controlplane, and performs many functions including radio resource management,admission control, scheduling, enforcement of negotiated Up Link (UL)QoS, cell information broadcast, ciphering/deciphering of user andcontrol plane data, and compression/decompression of DL/UL user planepacket headers.

The RRC layer in eNB 110 covers all functions related to the radiobearers, such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, radiomobility control, scheduling and dynamic allocation of resources to UEsin both uplink and downlink, header compression for efficient use of theradio interface, security of all data sent over the radio interface, andconnectivity to the EPC. The RRC layer makes handover decisions based onneighbor cell measurements sent by UE 111, generates pages for UEs 111over the air, broadcasts system information, controls UE measurementreporting, such as the periodicity of Channel Quality Information (CQI)reports, and allocates cell-level temporary identifiers to active UEs111. The RRC layer also executes transfer of UE context from a sourceeNB to a target eNB during handover, and provides integrity protectionfor RRC messages. Additionally, the RRC layer is responsible for thesetting up and maintenance of radio bearers.

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict radio interface protocol structures between a UEand an eNodeB that are based on a 3GPP-type radio access networkstandard. More specifically, FIG. 2 depicts individual layers of a radioprotocol control plane and FIG. 3 depicts individual layers of a radioprotocol user plane. The protocol layers of FIGS. 2 and 3 can beclassified into an L1 layer (first layer), an L2 layer (second layer)and an L3 layer (third layer) on the basis of the lower three layers ofthe OSI reference model widely known in communication systems.

The physical (PHY) layer, which is the first layer (L1), provides aninformation transfer service to an upper layer using a physical channel.The physical layer is connected to a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer,which is located above the physical layer, through a transport channel.Data is transferred between the MAC layer and the PHY layer through thetransport channel. A transport channel is classified into a dedicatedtransport channel and a common transport channel according to whether ornot the channel is shared. Data transfer between different physicallayers, specifically between the respective physical layers of atransmitter and a receiver, is performed through the physical channel.

A variety of layers exist in the second layer (L2 layer). For example,the MAC layer maps various logical channels to various transportchannels, and performs logical-channel multiplexing for mapping variouslogical channels to one transport channel. The MAC layer is connected tothe Radio Link Control (RLC) layer serving as an upper layer through alogical channel. The logical channel can be classified into a controlchannel for transmitting information of a control plane and a trafficchannel for transmitting information of a user plane according tocategories of transmission information.

The RLC layer of the second layer (L2) performs segmentation andconcatenation on data received from an upper layer, and adjusts the sizeof data to be suitable for a lower layer transmitting data to a radiointerval. In order to guarantee various Qualities of Service (QoSs)requested by respective radio bearers (RBs), three operation modes,i.e., a Transparent Mode (TM), an Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and anAcknowledged Mode (AM), are provided. Specifically, an AM RLC performs aretransmission function using an Automatic Repeat and Request (ARQ)function so as to implement reliable data transmission.

A Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the second layer (L2)performs a header compression function to reduce the size of an JPpacket header having relatively large and unnecessary controlinformation in order to efficiently transmit IP packets, such as IPv4 orIPv6 packets in a radio interval with a narrow bandwidth. As a result,only information required for a header part of data can be transmitted,so that transmission efficiency of the radio interval can be increased.In addition, in an LTE-based system, the PDCP layer performs a securityfunction that includes a ciphering function for preventing a third partyfrom eavesdropping on data and an integrity protection function forpreventing a third party from handling data.

A Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer located at the top of the thirdlayer (L3) is defined only in the control plane and is responsible forcontrol of logical, transport, and physical channels in association withconfiguration, re-configuration and release of Radio Bearers (RBs). TheRB is a logical path that the first and second layers (L1 and L2)provide for data communication between the UE and the UTRAN. Generally.Radio Bearer (RB) configuration means that a radio protocol layer neededfor providing a specific service, and channel characteristics aredefined and their detailed parameters and operation methods areconfigured. The Radio Bearer (RB) is classified into a Signaling RB(SRB) and a Data RB (DRB). The SRB is used as a transmission passage ofRRC messages in the C-plane, and the DRB is used as a transmissionpassage of user data in the U-plane.

A downlink transport channel for transmitting data from the network tothe UE may be classified into a Broadcast Channel (BCH) for transmittingsystem information and a downlink Shared Channel (SCH) for transmittinguser traffic or control messages. Traffic or control messages of adownlink multicast or broadcast service may be transmitted through adownlink SCH and may also be transmitted through a downlink multicastchannel (MCH). Uplink transport channels for transmission of data fromthe UE to the network include a Random Access Channel (RACH) fortransmission of initial control messages and an uplink SCH fortransmission of user traffic or control messages.

Downlink physical channels for transmitting information transferred to adownlink transport channel to a radio interval between the UE and thenetwork are classified into a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) fortransmitting BCH information, a Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) fortransmitting MCH information, a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)for transmitting downlink SCH information, and a Physical DownlinkControl Channel (PDCCH) (also called a DL L1/L2 control channel) fortransmitting control information, such as DL/UL Scheduling Grantinformation, received from first and second layers (L1 and L2). In themeantime, uplink physical channels for transmitting informationtransferred to an uplink transport channel to a radio interval betweenthe UE and the network are classified into a Physical Uplink SharedChannel (PUSCH) for transmitting uplink SCH information, a PhysicalRandom Access Channel for transmitting RACH information, and a PhysicalUplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for transmitting control information,such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) ACK or NACK SchedulingRequest (SR) and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) report information,received from first and second layers (L1 and L2).

Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology has beenrecognized as a technique to boost spectrum efficiency withoutsignificantly increasing infrastructure costs. For LTE-A Rel. 10,transmission mode 9 (TM9) has been introduced to support up to an 8-by-8MIMO transmission. That is, eight Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)antenna ports are defined to demodulate up to rank 8 transmissions. Ifthe received signal can be described as:

Y=HPX+n

in which H is the transmission matrix for the channel, P is theprecoding matrix, X is the transmitted signal vector, and n is a noisevector, then the “rank” equals number of columns in the precoding matrixP, and also equals to number of DMRS ports used.

The DMRS patterns for antenna ports 7, 8, 9 and 10 are depicted in FIGS.4A-4D, which correspond to Figure 6.10.3.2.3 in the 3GPP TechnicalSpecification (TS) 36.211, Draft Version 10.0.0, and depicts the mappingof UE-specific reference signals for antenna ports 7, 8, 9 and 10(normal cyclic prefix). More specifically, FIGS. 4A-4D respectivelydepict the mapping of UE-specific reference signals for antenna ports 7,8, 9 and 10 (normal cyclic prefix).

The DMRS for antenna port 7 (FIG. 4A) and antenna port 8 (FIG. 4B)overlap each other and occupy in total twelve resource elements (REs) inthe depicted resource grids. Each element in a resource grid is called aResource Element (RE) and is uniquely defined by the index pair (k,l) ina slot in which k=0, . . . ,N_(RB) ^(UL)N_(sc) ^(RB)−1 and l=0 . . .,N_(symb) ^(UL)−1 are the indices in the frequency and time domains,respectively. Resource element (k,l) on an antenna port p corresponds tothe complex value a_(k,l) ^((p)). Quantities a_(k,l) ^((p))corresponding to resource elements not used for transmission of aphysical channel or a physical signal in a slot are set to zero.

The DMRS REs for antenna port 7 and for antenna port 8 consist of sixpairs of REs such that each pair consists of two REs in two consecutiveOFDM symbols. The sequences for antenna ports 7 and 8 are generated byfirst selecting one random QPSK sequence with a scrambling ID i, andthen spreading each QPSK symbol with a length-2 Orthogonal Cover Code(OCC). For antenna port 7, the OCC is [1 1] and for antenna port 8 theOCC is [1 −1]. Thus, for each RE pair, the DMRS for antenna ports 7 and8 are fully orthogonal, even if both DMRS sequences also share the samescrambling sequence.

The DMRS for antenna port 9 (FIG. 4C) and antenna port 10 (FIG. 4D) arefully orthogonal in the frequency domain with respect to DMRS forantenna ports 7 and 8, and generation of the sequence for DMRS forantenna ports 9 and 10 are similar to generation of the sequences forDMRS for antenna ports 7 and 8.

If the transmission rank is greater than 4, the total DMRS overhead doesnot increase. But, the four REs for DMRS on one subcarrier are usedtogether to form one length-4 OCC. DMRS for antenna ports 7, 8, 11 and13 occupy the same 12 REs and are referred as CDM Group 1. On the otherhand, DMRS for antenna ports 9, 10, 12 and 14 occupy the other 12 REs,and are referred as CDM Group 2. The two original length-2 OCC sequencesare viewed as two length-4 OCC sequences, specifically [1 1 −1 −1] and[1 −1 1 −1], and the two additional OCC sequences are [1 −1 −1] and [1−1 −1]. Thus, the DMRSs within the same CDM Group are orthogonal to eachother if the same scrambling sequence is used.

Downlink Control Information (DCI) is used by an eNode B to allocateresources for each transmission mode. The DCI format used by an eNode Bto allocate resources depends on the particular transmission mode. DCIformat 2C (DCI 2C) is designed to signal the scheduling grant fortransmission mode 9 (TM9) and a 3-bit field is used to signal thespatial-related configurations to a UE. The signaling is designed sothat the MU-MIMO is transparent to a UE in a way that the UE does notknow if there are other UEs receiving data from the same resourcesthrough a different 3-bit signaling. DCI 2C includes fields forModulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), New Data Indicator (NDI) andRedundancy Version (RV) fields for a maximum of two Transport Blocks(TBs). A particular combination of MCS/RV bits can disable one TB thatresults in a one code word transmission. It is mainly used in rank 1transmission or in high rank retransmission. The meaning of thethree-bit spatial indication depends on whether one code word or twocode words are used.

Table 1 corresponds to Table 5.3.3.1.5C-1: Antenna port(s), scramblingidentity and number of layers indication in 36.212 Rel. 10 v10.2.0 anddefines the usage of each bit pattern for the 3-bit field. The leftcolumn of Table 1 defines the meaning of the 3-bit field when one codeword is enabled, and the right column defines the meaning of the 3-bitfield when two code words are enabled.

TABLE 1 Antenna port(s), scrambling identity and number of layersindication. One Codeword: Two Codewords: Codeword 0 enabled, Codeword 0enabled, Codeword 1 disabled Codeword 1 enabled Value Message ValueMessage 0 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 0 0 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID)= 0 1 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 1 1 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 12 1 layer, port 8, n_(SCID) = 0 2 3 layers, ports 7-9  3 1 layer, port8, n_(SCID) = 1 3 4 layers, ports 7-10 4 2 layers, ports 7-8  4 5layers, ports 7-11 5 3 layers, ports 7-9  5 6 layers, ports 7-12 6 4layers, ports 7-10 6 7 layers, ports 7-13 7 Reserved 7 8 layers, ports7-14

When one code word is enabled, values 0, 4, 5 and 6 are designedprimarily for Single-User MIMO (SU-MIMO) up to rank 4 with one codeword. The one code word rank 2 transmission is for retransmission only.Values 1, 2, 3 are designed primarily for MU-MIMO up to four UEs witheach having rank 1. The DMRS patterns for values 0 and 1 are not fullyorthogonal because both use the same OCC sequence, but use a differentscrambling sequence.

When two code words are enabled, values 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are designedfor SU-MIMO up to rank 8, and value 1 is designed for MU-MIMO. WithValues 0 and 1, it is possible to support maximum rank 4 MU-MIMO witheach UE having rank 2 transmission. Similarly, the DMRS patterns forvalues 0 and 1 are not orthogonal to each other because they are onlyseparated by a different scrambling ID.

According to the subject matter disclosed herein, higher-order MU-MIMOcan be provided by expanding codeword values for Downlink ControlInformation (DCI) used by an eNode B to allocate resources for eachtransmission mode. In particular, the antenna ports are extended and thescrambling identity and layer indications in LTE-A Rel. 11 or beyond canbe based on Table 2 or alternatively on Table 3, or a combinationthereof. The higher-order MU-MIMO combinations set forth in Tables 2 and3 are particularly useful for distributed antenna systems in which onecell contains multiple geographically isolated transmission points andeach transmission point can serve one or more UEs simultaneously but thesignaling bits are still defined for one cell thus share the samespatial signaling dimensioning.

TABLE 2 Antenna port(s), scrambling identity and number of layersindication for higher-order MU-MIMO for LTE-A Rel. 11 and laterversions. One Codeword: Two Codewords; Codeword 0 enabled, Codeword 0enabled, Codeword 1 disabled Codeword 1 enabled Value Message ValueMessage 0 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 0 0 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID)= 0 1 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 1 1 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 12 1 layer, port 8, n_(SCID) = 0 2 3 layers, ports 7-9  3 1 layer, port8, n_(SCID) = 1 3 4 layers, ports 7-10 4 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) =0 4 5 layers, ports 7-11 5 3 layers, ports 7-9  5 6 layers, ports 7-12 64 layers, ports 7-10 6 7 layers, ports 7-13 7 1 layer, port 11, n_(SCID)= 0 7 8 layers, ports 7-14 8 1 layer, port 11, n_(SCID) = 1 8 2 layers,ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 0 9 1 layer, port 13, n_(SCID) = 0 9 2 layers,ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 1 10  1 layer, port 13, n_(SCID) = 1 10  2layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 11  2 layers, ports 7-8,n_(SCID) = 1 11  2 layers, ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 12 2 layers, ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 0 12  2 layers, ports 9-10, n_(SCID)= 0, 2 DMRS Group 13  2 layers, ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 1 13  2 layers,ports 12, 14, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 14  Reserved 14  3 layers,ports 10, 12, 11 15  Reserved 15  4 layers, ports 11, 13, 12, 14

TABLE 3 Antenna port(s), scrambling identity and number of layersindication for higher-order MU-MIMO for LTE-A Rel. 11 and laterversions. One Codeword: Two Codewords: Codeword 0 enabled, Codeword 0enabled, Codeword 1 disabled Codeword 1 enabled Value Message ValueMessage 0 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 0 0 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID)= 0 1 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 1 1 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 12 1 layer, port 8, n_(SCID) = 0 2 3 layers, ports 7-9  3 1 layer, port8, n_(SCID) = 1 3 4 layers, ports 7-10 4 2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) =0 4 5 layers, ports 7-11 5 3 layers, ports 7-9  5 6 layers, ports 7-12 64 layers, ports 7-10 6 7 layers, ports 7-13 7 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID)= 2 7 8 layers, ports 7-14 8 1 layer, port 7, n_(SCID) = 3 8 2 layers,ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 2 9 1 layer, port 8, n_(SCID) = 2 9 2 layers,ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 3 10  1 layer, port 8, n_(SCID) = 3 10  2 layers,ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 11  2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID)= 1 11  2 layers, ports 11, 13, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 12  2 layers,ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 2 12  2 layers, ports 9-10, n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRSGroup 13  2 layers, ports 7-8, n_(SCID) = 3 13  2 layers, ports 12, 14,n_(SCID) = 0, 2 DMRS Group 14  1 layer, port 11, , n_(SCID) = 0 14  3layers, ports 10, 12, 11 15  1 layer, port 13, n_(SCID) = 0 15  4layers, ports 11, 13, 12, 14

The extra features provided by the additional signaling of Tables 2 and3 include:

For one code word, values 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10 in Table 2 supportup to rank 8 MU-MIMO with each UE transmitting one layer. The first CDMGroup 7, 8, 11 and 13 is used and both scrambling IDs (n_(SCID)) 0 and 1are used. Table 3 only uses DMRS for antenna ports 7 and 8, but fourscrambling IDs (n_(SCID)) are used 0, 1, 2 and 3. Scrambling IDs 2 and 3are newly defined.

For one code word, values 0, 2, 7 and 9 in Table 2 and for values 0, 2,14, and 15 in Table 3, up to rank 4 MU-MIMO is supported with each UEtransmitting one layer, but with orthogonal DMRS.

For one code word, values 4, 11, 12 and 13 in both Table 2 and Table 3up to rank 8 MU-MIMO is supported with each UE transmitting two layersusing different DMRS and scrambling ID combinations.

For two code words, values 0, 1, 8 and 9 in both Table 2 and Table 3support up to rank 8 MU-MIMO with each UE transmitting two layers andeach layer is mapped to one code word.

For two code words, values 10, 11, 12 and 13 in both Table 2 and Table 3supports up to rank 8 MU-MIMO with each UE transmitting two layers andthe DMRS for four UEs are fully orthogonal because both CDM groups areused.

For two code words, for values 2 and 14, it is possible to pair two UEswith each having rank 3, and for values 3 and 15, it is possible to pairtwo UEs with each having rank 4.

Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certaindegree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereofmay be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. The claimed subjectmatter will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, constructionand/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing from thescope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificingall of its material advantages, the form herein before described beingmerely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further withoutproviding substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claimsto encompass and/or include such changes.

What is claimed is:
 1. An access node of a wireless communicationnetwork, the access node comprising a transmitter portion capable oftransmitting downlink control information to at least one wirelessstation of a plurality of wireless stations wirelessly accessing thenode as a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) wirelesscommunication network, the downlink control information transmitted tothe at least one wireless station being transparent to at least oneother wireless station, the downlink control information comprising atleast two code words indicating a rank of a channel matrix between thetransmitter portion of the node and the wireless station greater than 4and a spatial-related configuration for the wireless station.
 2. Theaccess node according to claim 1, wherein the downlink controlinformation comprises one code word of the at least two code words isenabled and another code word of the two code words is disabled, the oneenabled code word indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wirelessnetwork and each wireless station of the plurality of wireless stationsof the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in one layer, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers using a different combination of a demodulation reference signaland a scrambling identification code than another wireless station, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in two layers with each layer is mapped to one code word, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless networktransmits in two layers, or a combination thereof.
 3. The access nodeaccording to claim 2, wherein the transmitter portion transmits thedownlink control information from one substantially localizedgeographical transmission point forming a single-cell access point forthe plurality of wireless stations in the MU-MIMO.
 4. The access nodeaccording to claim 3, wherein the wireless communication networkcomprises a 3GPP LTE-based network.
 5. The access node according toclaim 2, wherein the transmitter portion transmits the downlink controlinformation from multiple geographically substantially isolatedtransmission points forming a single-cell access point for the pluralityof wireless stations in the MU-MIMO.
 6. The access node according toclaim 5, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a 3GPPLTE-based network.
 7. The access node according to claim 1, wherein thedownlink control information comprises one code word of the at least twocode words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer.
 8. The access node according to claim 1, wherein the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals.
 9. The access nodeaccording to claim 1, wherein the downlink control information comprisesone code word of the at least two code words is enabled and another codeword of the two code words is disabled, the one enabled code wordindicating support for up to a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless network and eachwireless station of the plurality of wireless station of the MU-MIMOwireless network to transmit in one layer with orthogonal demodulationreference signals.
 10. The access node according to claim 1, wherein thedownlink control information comprises one code word of the at least twocode words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers using a different combination of a demodulation reference signaland a scrambling identification code than another wireless station. 11.The access node according to claim 1, wherein the downlink controlinformation comprises two code words indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers with each layer is mapped to one code word.
 12. The access nodeaccording to claim 1, wherein the downlink control information comprisestwo code words indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wirelessnetwork and each wireless station of the plurality of wireless stationsof the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in two layers.
 13. Theaccess node according to claim 1, further comprising the wirelessstation of a plurality of wireless stations, the wireless stationcapable of receiving the downlink control information, and wherein thedownlink control information comprises one code word of the at least twocode words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer, the downlink control information comprises one code word of theat least two code words is enabled and another code word of the two codewords is disabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for upto a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of theplurality of wireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in one layer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals,the downlink control information comprises one code word of the at leasttwo code words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers using a different combination of a demodulation reference signaland a scrambling identification code than another wireless station, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in two layers with each layer is mapped to one code word, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless networktransmits in two layers, or a combination thereof.
 14. A station in awireless communication network, the station comprising a receiverportion capable of receiving downlink control information from an accessnode of the wireless communication network, the downlink controlinformation received by the station being transparent to at least oneother wireless station of the wireless communication network, thedownlink control information comprising at least two code wordsindicating a rank of a channel matrix between the receiver portion andthe access node greater than 4, a spatial-related configuration for thewireless station and a scrambling identity, the wireless station beingpart of a plurality of wireless stations wirelessly accessing the accessnode as a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) wirelesscommunication network.
 15. The station according to claim 14, whereinthe downlink control information comprises one code word of the at leasttwo code words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer, the downlink control information comprises one code word of theat least two code words is enabled and another code word of the two codewords is disabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for upto a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of theplurality of wireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in one layer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals,the downlink control information comprises one code word of the at leasttwo code words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers using a different combination of a demodulation reference signaland a scrambling identification code than another wireless station, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in two layers with each layer is mapped to one code word, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless networktransmits in two layers, or a combination thereof.
 16. The stationaccording to claim 15, wherein the access node comprises a transmitterportion to transmit the downlink control information from onesubstantially localized geographical transmission point forming asingle-cell access point for the plurality of wireless stations in theMU-MIMO.
 17. The station according to claim 16, wherein the wirelesscommunication network comprises a 3GPP LTE-based network.
 18. Thestation according to claim 15, wherein the access node comprises atransmitter portion to transmit the downlink control information frommultiple geographically substantially isolated transmission pointsforming a single-cell access point for the plurality of wirelessstations in the MU-MIMO.
 19. The station according to claim 18, whereinthe wireless communication network comprises a 3GPP LTE-based network.20. The station according to claim 14, wherein the downlink controlinformation comprises one code word of the at least two code words isenabled and another code word of the two code words is disabled, the oneenabled code word indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wirelessnetwork and each wireless station of the plurality of wireless stationsof the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in one layer.
 21. Thestation according to claim 14, wherein the downlink control informationcomprises one code word of the at least two code words is enabled andanother code word of the two code words is disabled, the one enabledcode word indicating support for up to a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless networkand each wireless station of the plurality of wireless station of theMU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in one layer with orthogonaldemodulation reference signals.
 22. The station according to claim 14,wherein the downlink control information comprises one code word of theat least two code words is enabled and another code word of the two codewords is disabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for upto a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of theplurality of wireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in one layer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals.23. The station according to claim 14, wherein the downlink controlinformation comprises one code word of the at least two code words isenabled and another code word of the two code words is disabled, the oneenabled code word indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wirelessnetwork and each wireless station of the plurality of wireless stationsof the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in two layers using adifferent combination of a demodulation reference signal and ascrambling identification code than another wireless station.
 24. Thestation according to claim 14, wherein the downlink control informationcomprises two code words indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMOwireless network and each wireless station of the plurality of wirelessstations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in two layers witheach layer is mapped to one code word.
 25. The station according toclaim 14, wherein the downlink control information comprises two codewords indicating support for up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network andeach wireless station of the plurality of wireless stations of theMU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in two layers.
 26. A method,comprising transmitting downlink control information to at least onewireless station of a plurality of wireless stations wirelesslyaccessing the node as a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output(MU-MIMO) wireless communication network, the downlink controlinformation transmitted to the at least one wireless station beingtransparent to at least one other wireless station, the downlink controlinformation comprising at least two code words indicating a rank of achannel matrix between the transmitter portion of the node and thewireless station greater than 4 and a spatial-related configuration forthe wireless station.
 27. The method according to claim 26, wherein thedownlink control information comprises one code word of the at least twocode words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer, the downlink control information comprises one code word of theat least two code words is enabled and another code word of the two codewords is disabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for upto a rank 4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of theplurality of wireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in one layer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals,the downlink control information comprises one code word of the at leasttwo code words is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank4 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless station of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in onelayer with orthogonal demodulation reference signals, the downlinkcontrol information comprises one code word of the at least two codewords is enabled and another code word of the two code words isdisabled, the one enabled code word indicating support for up to a rank8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station of the plurality ofwireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network to transmit in twolayers using a different combination of a demodulation reference signaland a scrambling identification code than another wireless station, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless network totransmit in two layers with each layer is mapped to one code word, thedownlink control information comprises two code words indicating supportfor up to a rank 8 MU-MIMO wireless network and each wireless station ofthe plurality of wireless stations of the MU-MIMO wireless networktransmits in two layers, or a combination thereof.
 28. The methodaccording to claim 26, wherein transmitting the downlink controlinformation comprises transmitting the downlink control information fromone substantially localized geographical transmission point forming asingle-cell access point for the plurality of wireless stations in theMU-MIMO, or from multiple geographically substantially isolatedtransmission points forming a single-cell access point for the pluralityof wireless stations in the MU-MIMO.
 29. The method according to claim28, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a 3GPPLTE-based network.
 30. The method according to claim 28, furthercomprising receiving the downlink control information at the wirelessstation of the plurality of wireless stations.